Automobile.



PATENTED SEPT. 1, 1908.

H. K. HO'LSMAN. AUTOMOBILE.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 12,1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

No. 897,368. PATENTED SEPT. 1, 1908.

- H. K. HOLSMAN.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12,1907.

' 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

. H NH M HENRY K. HOLSMAN, OF CHICAGO,-ILLINOIS.

AUTOMOBILE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 1, 1908.

Original application filed February 8, 1907, Serial'No. 356,393. Dividedand this application filed June 12, 190'7.v Serial No. 378,502.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRYyK. HOLSMAN, a

citizen of the United States, and'resident of ful Improvements inAutomobiles, of which is a full, clear, and exact SPGCl-r the folfication.

My present application, which is a division of my original applicationNo. 356,393, filed February 8, 1007, is concerned'with a novel steeringhandle combined with the engine throttling mechanism so that a singleelement may be used bothto steer and to control the speed of thevehicle.

It is further concerned with a steering handle so combined with thethrottling mechanism that as the handle is moved into position so thatthe driver can readily leave the car, the throttling mechanism isautomatically moved to position to cut off the fuel supply and thus stopthe engine.

To il ustrate myinvention, I have annexed hereto two sheets of drawings,in which the same reference characters are used to designateidenticalparts in all the figures, of which,'

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automobile containing my invention;Fig. 2 is a plan view of the forward portion of the running gearsthereof, with the engine in place; Fig. 3 (Sheet '1) is an enlargeddetail of part of the owing mechanism shown in Fig. 1, with a portion ofthe connecting link broken away to show the bell crank behind it; Fig. 4is a detail showing, in front elevation, the connections between thehandle and the steering post proper; and Fig. 5 (Sheet 2) is an enlargedtop plan view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2.

While it will be understood that my improvements might be applied todifferent types of automobiles, I have illustrated them as applied to anautomobile of the type shown in my Patent No. 697,720, dated April 15,1902, and in my companion application No. 352,848, filed January 18,1907. In this type of automobiles, the traction wheels 20 are mounted onthe rear axle bar 21, and the steering wheels 22 are mounted on theaxles 23, which are pivoted in yokes 24 secured on the front axle bar25. The bed or body 26 of the vehicle is secured at its rear end tosprings 27 secured on the rear axle 21, and at its forward end uponsprings ing secured to the spokes by clips 37.

by theframc 30 and hassecure'd just outside of the bearings,l.;.drivingpulley-wheels. 34, around which pass driving cables 35, which also passaround the driving rim 36 secured to rotate with the traction wheels inany convenient manner, as, for instance, by be- Outside of the pulleywheels 34 and in the plane of the tires 38 of the traction wheels, Isecure reversing disks 39, which are adapted to cooperate with the tiresand drive the machine backward when the engine is swung from the forwarddriving position shown in Fig. 1

back until the reversin disks 39 engage the tires. Of course, it will beunderstood that the rearward movement of the engine releases the tensionon the cable 35 until it does not transmit the rotation of the drivingpulley-wheel 34 to the rim 36. The rear axle 21 has secured theretodiagonal distance rods 40, which extend to and are secured at thelowerend of a V-shaped link 41',

the upper ends of which are journaled in bearings 42 secured to thebottom of the bed. 1

A rock shaft or rod 43'is mounted or secured in bearings 44 carried bythe sides of the bed, so that it is capable of springing slightly at thecenter, and a connecting bar 45 is mountedat its upper end centrally ofsaid rock shaft or rod 43;and has its forward and lower end secured onthe link 41 between the ends of the distance rods 40. The connecting bar45 has secured thereon, or preferably formed integral therewith, asegmental ratchet bar '46 and an operating lever 47, which is securedupon the part 43 if it be a rock shaft, or journaled thereon if it bearod, and has associated therewith a locking detent dog 48, which may beof any desired con struction, and which cooperates with the teeth of thesegment 46, being moved out of engagement therewith by the operation ofthe handle 49. Any desired connections may be employed between thedetent 48 and the handle 49, one specific form being shown in myaforesaid companion application No.

connected to the engine frame.

352,848. The lever 47 has pivoted thereto a link bar 50, which has aloop at its forward and lower end which slides on the horizontal portionof the connecting bar 45, and this nk bar 50, in turn, has pivotedthereto link rods 51 which are connected to the forward pair of collars52 by which the links 31 are Iti will be readily apparent fromthe'foregoing description that as the'upper end of the operatinglever'47 is moved to the rear, or toward the driver, the engine will beshifted so as to tighten the rope 3-5 and drive the vehi- 01c, and thatit can be locked in any position of tension required. As the upper endof the lever is movedin the opposite direction, the engine is moved tothe rear, and the tension of the rope 35 slackened to stop the vehicle;and if its desired to reverse the vehicle, the engine is swung stillfarther to the rear until the reversing disks 39 engage the tires 38,

when the vehicle will be backed slowly. The

foregoing part of my invention is fully described and claimed in myaforesaid companion application No. 352,848.

The axles 23 of the steering wheels 22 are provided at the rear thereofwith arms 53, which are connected by a link 54, so that when the arm 55connected to one of the 'journa ed at its lower end in a bearing axlesis shifted by means of a link 56, which is pivoted at its other end tothe lower arm 57 upon the steering-post 58, which has a horizontalhandle bar 59, at its upper end, both wheels will be turnedsimultaneously in the same direction. N I

The steering post 58 is shown as journaled in a bearing 73 su ported bybrackets 74 excured at its inner end anarm' 79 which terminates in anelongated bearing sleeve 80 for v the rod 81 secured to rotate therein,and having a connecting link 82 pivoted at its'inner end by a yoke 83,.as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5. ,By this construction, it will be ap)arent that as the handle 59 is rotated, the ink 82 will be raised orlowered'without in any way interfering with the general direction of thehandle which controls the direction of movement of the vehicle. It willalso be noted, from Fig. 4, that when the-handle 59 is turned to avertical position, as is customary to get it out of the way when leavingthe vehicle, the link 82 is necessarily thrust downward so as tocompletely throttle the engine, and thus automatically secure itsstopping without any further attention-on the part of the operator. Thisfeature is advantageous, as the driver automatically stops the engine ashe leaves the vehicle,- unless he takes painsnot to do so by sliding thehandle 59 upward slightly on the r0d7 5 as he throws it to a verticalposition, as he can do,

if desired; The link 82 is pivoted "'at its lower end to the bell crank84, which is pivoted at 85 upon the lower end of the op'eratv ing'lever47 so that the connections swing with said lever as the engine ismovedin either direction, and this is a novel feature of my inventionapplicable to structures where the engine is moved in controllingthedriving of the vehicle. If the engine were,

stationary, of course, it will be understood that the bell crank 84would be located upon some stationary part of the vehicle. As it is,

its other end is connected by a rod 86 with a' bell crank 87 pivoted at88 upon the en ine and having its other end connected to aink 89 whichoperates the throttling mechanism 90, whether the same be for. steam orgases, lene, although it will be apparent that my in:

engines.

vention in the form which I at present convention is especiallyintendedfor gasolene f While I have shown and described in-f sider bestadapted to carry out its pur oses,

it will be understood that it is capa le of modifications, and that I donot desire, to be limited in the interpretation of the. following claimsexcept as may be necessitated by the state of the prior art.

VV'hat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited State's,is:

1. In an automobile, the combination 'with running gears, of a steeringwheel having its axle pivoted thereon, a steering arm secured to theaxle, avertical rock shaft, link connections between the rock shaft andthe steering arm, a horizontal arm connected to the rock shaft to swingit to steer the vehicle but movable relative thereto, an

elongated handle and sleeve journaled on the horizontal arm,engine-throttling mechanism, and connections between the engine/ vthrottling mechanism and the sleeve, whereby the latter may be rotatedin one position .of the arm and moved longitudinally thereof in anotherposition to control the speed of the vehicle. p

2. In ,an automobile, the combinai ion with running gears, of asteeringwheel having its axle pivoted thereon, a steering arm.

secured to the axle, a vertical rock shaft,

link connections between the rock shaft and the steering arm, ahorizontal arm plvotally conneetedto the, rock shaftso it can, be

swung to a vertical position, said arm being used to swing the rockshaft to steer the vehicle, an elongated handle and sleeve journaled onthe horizontal arin, enginethe engine throttling mechanismcontrolthrottling mechanism, and connections be tween theengine-throttling mechanism and the sleeve, whereby the latter may berotated 'on the horizontal arm independently thereof in the horizontalposition of the arm and movedlongitudinally thereof'in the verticalposition 0 the arm to control the speed of the vehicle. I I

3. In an automobile, the combination with running gears, of a tractionwheel j our-' naled thereon, a steering wheel axle pivoted on therunning gears, a steering wheel, connections between the axle and thesteerin wheel, a steering'member, a handle carrie thereby, an enginemovable to driving and non-driving osition, connections between theengine-s aft and the traction wheel, engine-throttling mechanism, andconnections between the handle and the engine throttling mechanismoperative in any position of the engine.

4. In an automobile, the combination with running gears, of a tractionwheel j ournaled thereon, an engine movable to driving and non-drivingposition, driving connections between the engine and the traction wheel,engine-throttling mechanism upon the engine, anengine-throttling-mechanismcontrolling member mounted upon a relativelystationary part ofthe vehicle, and connections between saidengine-throttling mechanism and the controlling-mechanism thereforoperative in any position of the engine.

5. In an automobile, the combination with running gears, of a tractionwheel j ournaled thereon, an engine movable to driving and non-drivingposition, connections between the engine shaft and the driving wheel, anengine-shifting member, enginethrottling mechanism carried by theengine, an engine-tln'ottling-mechanism-controlling member mounted on arelatively stationary part of the vehicle, and connections between lingmember and the engine-throttling mechanism, one element thereof beingmounted upon the engine-shifting membersfso as to make the controllingmechanism operative in any position of the engine.

6. In an automobile, the I combination with running gears, of a steeringwheel having its axle pivoted thereon, engine-throttling mechanism, asteering member, connections from the steerin member to thesteering-wheel axle, a ban le by which the steering member is moved,said handle b ing movable from its normal positionfto facilitate egressfrom the car, and connections between the handle and theengine-throttlin mechanism whereby as the handle is move to position topermit the driver to leave the car, the engine-throttling mechanism isauto matically moved to position to stop the en gine.

with running gears, of' a steering wheel having its axle pivotedthereon, engine-throttling mechanism, a steering member, connectionsfrom the steering member to the steering-wheel axle, a handle by whichthe steering member is moved, said handle being movable from its normalposition to facilitate egress from the car, and connections between thehandle and the engine-throttling 7. In an automobile, the combinationmechanism whereby as the handle is moved to position to permit thedriver to leave the car, the engine-throttling mechanism isautomatically moved to position to stop the engine, said handle,however, being movable to still another abnormal position to prevent theautomatic stopping of the engine, if desired.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal.

HENRY K. HOLSMAN. [L. s.]

Witnesses;

M, S. REEDER, I JOHN HOWARD McELRoY.

